Never Again
by PeinSaku
Summary: "Are you alright?" he asked softly, brushing the bandage on Mom's face. She didn't meet his eyes, and I suppressed a shiver. We all three left the hospital with a seemingly-calm exterior, but when we returned home, my father was yelling and beating again. — AU. PeinSaku


Hello again, everybody! Yes, I know I need to finish my other stories, but I keep writing these one-shots!! ^^' Anyway, this one is a bit different from my others; I got really pissed off the other day because one of my friends is an abused child, so this came to mind. The song is _Never Again_ by Nickelback.

Thanks to everyone who clicked on my DragCave eggs! They successfully hatched and matured, but now I have four new eggs that need some love! They'll die in four days if they don't get enough cliks and views, so please help!

Please read and review! :)

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He's drunk again; it's time to fight.  
She must have done something wrong tonight.

The distinct sound of a beer bottle shattering woke me.

I jolted upright in bed, gripping the blankets as I held my breath. I heard yelling coming from the living room, and the sharp ring of a slap echoed all the way back to me. I could hear my mom's sobs.

The living room becomes a boxing ring.  
It's time to run when you see him  
Clenching his hands.

The noises of a fight reached me, and I froze up, my throat going dry. It was happening again.

My dad was drunk, and he was beating and cursing at my mother again. It was like this almost every single night. I had found her many times in the morning with a black eye or multiple bruises, but she always said she slipped and fell down the front porch stairs.

She's just a woman.  
Never again.

The sobbing increased, and I flinched. I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed to Kami for him to stop. But he didn't.

I heard something else break; most likely a vase or glass. My dad started yelling more loudly, and I forced myself not to listen, slapping my hands over my ears.

I hear her scream, from down the hall.  
Amazing she can even talk at all.

She finally screamed, and I flinched again. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the sound out of my ears; it kept echoing over and over. Then, to my horror, a loud choked sob escaped me.

She cries to me, "Go back to bed!"  
I'm terrified that she'll wind up  
Dead in his hands.

"Are you still awake in there?!" my dad exploded, making me freeze in my bed.

"No!" I hear my mom object weakly. "Th-that was me!" I could practically hear the beg for me to go back to sleep in her voice.

"Don't you dare talk back to me, you bitch!!"

I flinched when I heard another slap.

She's just a woman.  
Never again.

Once again, when I finally fell asleep, the screams replayed in my nightmares.

Been there before, but not like this.  
Seen it before, but not like this.

The next morning, I crept down the stairs carefully and peered into the kitchen. My mom looked up from the table, looking as if she had seen a ghost, but relaxed when she noticed me. She had a cut on her cheek and a black eye again.

"Oh," she breathed. "Sakura. Good morning, dear."

I gave her a weak smile. "Morning, Mom."

Never before have I ever  
Seen it this bad.

I stayed with her as long as I could before I sprinted out the door and ran to school, making it just in time. The day passed in a blur; I was too numb to really notice anything. Not even my boyfriend, Pein, could distract me.

She's just a woman.  
Never again.

"What's wrong?" he demanded, catching me in the hallway after school. I just shook my head and escaped from the building before I could blurt it all out.

"Just tell the nurse, you slipped and fell."  
It starts to sting as it starts to swell.

After school, I found myself in the hospital with my parents. Apparently, one of our neighbors heard my mom screaming last night and called the police this morning when she saw her black eye. The police had questioned them, but they revealed nothing. When the officers saw that they couldn't get anything out of them, they sent them to the hospital.

She looks at you; she wants the truth.  
It's right out there in the waiting room  
With those hands;

The nurse cast a stern look at my mother; both she and I were in one of the rooms. My father, however, sat in the waiting room.

"What really happened?" she demanded. She hadn't bought my mother's 'falling down the stairs' story.

I swallowed. Would she admit it was my father? I hoped so. He needed to be locked away. I didn't want him to ever hurt her again.

"I fell down the stairs," my mother finally said, almost pleading with the woman to understand. The nurse's eyes drifted towards the door, and I just knew she was envisioning the waiting room with my father in there. She sighed.

"Alright."

Lookin' just as sweet as he can.  
Never again.

When we were finally released, my father walked up to us with a completely innocent expression.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, brushing the bandage on my mother's face. She didn't meet his eyes, and I suppressed a shiver. I had had about enough of him.

We all three left the hospital with a seemingly-calm exterior, but when we returned home, my father was yelling and beating again.

Seen it before, but not like this.  
Been there before, but not like this.

I hardened myself after school the next day. My dad couldn't keep doing this to her. Not while I was around.

Never before have I ever  
Seen it this bad.

Pein stopped me in the hall again, catching my arm in his hand. I glanced up at him, and he met my eyes steadily.

"What's wrong?" He demanded, repeating his words from yesterday. I swallowed, looking away.

"I..." I paused. "I can't tell you right now," I admitted. "But soon...in a few days, maybe, I'll explain everything." He didn't seem satisfied, but he let me go.

"Alright," he murmured, kissing my forehead. "Just be careful."

My stomach knotted itself up as I hugged him slightly, and then turned and walked away. He had no idea how close his words struck home in me. But in a few days, hopefully everything would be alright. I was going to settle this tonight.

She's just a woman.  
Never again.

It was another two hours before I finally reached my street. I took a deep breath as I walked down the sidewalk to my house, clearing my mind. It wouldn't be any good if I couldn't say what I wanted to. There was no way I was backing out now.

Never again.

I swallowed again as I pulled out my key, unlocking the door and pushing it open. I walked in and shut it behind me. My heart pounded loudly in my chest, and I was sure he could hear it.

"You're home," I heard him grunt from the living room. "C'mere, brat."

With the slightest bit of hesitation, I entered the living room and stood on his left at the arm of the couch. I breathed in and steeled myself; he raised an eyebrow.

"Father's a name you haven't earned yet."

"Leave her alone," I bit out, forcing my voice to sound more powerful than I felt. I couldn't let him know I was afraid.

"You're just a child with a temper."

His eyes narrowed.

"What'd you say, brat?!" he demanded. "You don't order me around in my own house!!"

"Haven't you heard 'Don't hit a lady'?"

His words made me even more angry, and I let it fuel me. I didn't stop yelling, even when I saw my mother appear with a look of horror on her face.

"I'll turn you in!!" I threatened, feeling my face color with rage. "You can't do this!! Just leave her alone, and get the hell out!! You don't belong here!!"

"Kickin' your ass would be a pleasure."

I didn't flinch or step back when he flew to his feet. I was fed up with his crap, and it was high time I did something about it.

"You little bitch!!" he boomed. "I'll kill you!!"

He's drunk again, it's time to fight.  
Same old shit, just on a different night.

He lunged for me, but my mother was suddenly there. She leapt between us and took the hit for me. My eyes went wide, and he growled.

"Stupid bitch!!" he yelled. "You're trying to save this little shit of a daughter!! Well, you're gonna get it twice as bad!!"

She grabs the gun; she's had enough.  
Tonight she'll find out how fucking  
Tough is this man.

All I could do was stand there in shock and stare with wide, terrified eyes. What happened next, I never could have imagined. Time seemed to stand still as my mother whipped around and yanked the side table drawer open, a handgun appearing in her hands. It was from her days as a police officer back a couple years before I was born.

Pulls the trigger as fast as she can.  
Never again.

And just like that, her finger slammed into the trigger and four ear-splitting gunshots rang through the house. My father's eyes were unbelievably wide, his mouth slightly open. Four splotches of red pooled on his shirt and he slowly fell to the floor, his face forever frozen in that expression of utter shock.

Seen it before, but not like this.  
Been there before, but not like this.

She was breathing hard, her whole body trembling. She dropped the gun and fell to her knees, slumping over.

"M-mom?" I stammered shakily, swallowing.

She looked at me over her shoulder with sad, tear-filled eyes.

"...I'm so sorry," she whispered. "It's all my fault..."

Never before have I ever  
Seen it this bad.

"N-no!" I disagreed, feeling a familiar prick in the corners of my eyes. "No! It's _his_ fault! It's all his fault!"

But she still gazed at me sadly. "I can't protect you anymore," she murmured, shoulder beginning to shake as she cried silently. "I'm so sorry, honey...I'm so sorry..."

She's just a woman.  
Never again.

I shook my head, taking a step back. I knew what she was going to say even before she said it.

"Run," she whispered.

"No," I choked out. "No...Mom, I won't leave you!"

She shook her had in return, much like I had.

"No, sweetie. Go," she said. "Run."

Seen it before, but not like this.  
Been there before, but not like this.

Before I even knew what was happening, I was sprinting down the dark streets of Konoha. When had I left? When had I turned and run away from my mother? Behind me, just twenty or so feet, I could still see my home— no. Not my home. It was no home. It was only a house.

Never before have I ever  
Seen it this bad.

And then, my feet stumbled as a loud explosion-like gunshot when off. A choked sob escaped me and I squeezed my eyes shut as I ran. I refused to let myself think about my mother or what she had just done. I wouldn't be able to handle never seeing her again.

She's just a woman.  
Never again.

I rounded street corner after street corner, my breath coming in quick gasps. Only when I hurtled into the parking lot of a fairly-new apartment building did I realize where I was going.

Never again.

I pressed the button for room 13 over and over, waiting weakly for the voice I knew to appear over the small speaker. Finally, I heard him.

"Hello?" He sounded as if I had woke him; I wasn't surprised. It was late.

"Pein?" I managed to say, my voice shaking.

"Sakura?" His tone was instantly alert. "Hold on. I'm opening the door."

Never again.

There was a soft buzzing noise, and the apartment building front door unlocked. I pulled it open and ran inside, going straight for the stairs. There were no rooms on the first floor; rooms one through twenty began on the second floor. I don't remember even running up them; the next think I knew, I was knocking desperately on Pein's door. It flew open and there he was, his eyes as strong as always. But now, they were tainted with worry.

"Sakura?" he murmured, pulling me into his apartment. "What happened?"

I didn't speak; I couldn't. All I did was jump into him and start to cry out everything.

Never again.


End file.
